With the Chicago Teachers Union threatening to strike in May, the head of Chicago Public Schools says the union is having trouble dealing with reality.
“It’s sort of an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ world within the CTU these days,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said Monday.
Union president Karen Lewis also resorted to exaggeration: “They want to stand on us, put their boots on our necks and then tell us we have to like it.”
Lewis says the odds of the union going on strike later this year are high. “Today 100 [percent]. Tomorrow, maybe 95. Maybe 85.”
The earliest the teachers could legally go on strike is May 16. If they don’t strike by the end of this school year, they could strike at the beginning of the next one if negotiations drag on.
The Chicago Sun Times reports that the latest proposal is similar to a CPS offer from January. At the time, Lewis called the proposal a “serious offer,” but now the union has moved its goalposts and says the proposal is “dead on arrival.” The latest proposal came from an independent third-party arbitrator.
Negotiations will continue Thursday, covering raises, pension contributions, layoffs and other issues.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
